Solfest 2010

A non-commercial music and arts festival with a warm atmosphere set between the Solway Firth and the Lake District mountains in picturesque West Cumbria, as always it features a massive range of musical and cultural adventures.

The seventh Solfest takes place over August Bank Holiday weekend from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th August, 2010 and offers something for everyone, with a main stage, dance tent, second stage with many smaller acts, and a children's area with workshops to amaze, educate and enthral kids and adults throughout the day.

Line-up

The main stage line-up includes James, The Magic Numbers, Alabama 3, The Wailers, From The Jam, New Young Pony Club, The Mummers, Russkaja, Orkestra Del sol, Astrid Williamson, Baka Beyond, Wallis Bird, The Destroyers, and more. Other acts confirmed for Solfest include The Damned, Thea Gilmore, Pikey Beatz, Sean Taylor, Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell, This Frontier Needs Heroes, Dan Walsh, and Mark Gwynne Jones & Psychicbread. For the line-up details, and stage splits, as available please click here.

Tickets

Ticket prices are confirmed as £89 adult weekend; young person aged 12-16 £62; child aged 6-11 £25; children aged 5 and under can attend for free (but still need a ticket), and parking is FREE. This year Solfest is offering advance camping tickets for the night of Thursday 26th August. These will be priced at £10 per vehicle and will allow access to the camping fields only. There will be no access to the main arena until 9.00am on Friday 27th August. To buy tickets online click here.

Tickets are also available from branches of the Cumberland Building Society in Wigton, Aspatria and Silloth, and the Carnegie Theatre, Workington box Office tel. 01900 602122. There are no booking fees.

Ethos

The festival policy is "to appeal to four generations of people, from the tiny babies through to the great-grannies and great-granddads (and everyone else in between) and have them all partying together at the same time – and lovin' it!"

On site

Solfest is expected to include free camping (quiet and noisy!); free parking (next to your tent); plenty of food from around the world; a licensed bar (or you can bring your own); sculptures; a healing area; adult workshops where you can try things such as belly dancing and wood turning; craft stalls; walkabout performances and theatre; a baby area; fire performances; an acoustic music session tent, and friendly and helpful stewards.

CNN

CNN return for a 6th year at Solfest, and will be bringing all the mayhem of Madame Bibelot's House of Phantasmagorical Delights back for a second year, this time with Professor Fromaggio's Cocktail Bar, the Cabaret of Cunning Stunts, The Miniature Palace Cinema, The Misspent Youth Club, The Hall of Curiosities, and The Internationally Renowned Bedlam Boudoir. By day, the CNN area is a warped pseudo-Victorian travelling fair, with a host of extra-ordinary characters including Madame Dairylea's uncanny fortune telling, The flea circus, Coconut shy, Peepshows, Thumb wrestling championships, workshops and more.

The Solfest Workshop programme offers a wide range of activities to educate and inspire with Inta Africa, Zoe Sawane, Justin and Nici, Baka Beyond's Su Hart, Kerry Wright, Maureen Morano, Capoeira, and Zumba Cumbria.

For kids

Solfest has an action packed kids area for children of all ages, from the Baby Chill-Out with facilities for feeding, changing and resting.

Plus painting drop-in sessions, circus skills, musical workshops, craft workshops, ultraviolet sandpit, wood lathes and green woodworking, facepainters, songs and stories, Hula Hooping workshops, water play, bubbles, and other toys and activities.

For older kids and teens expect the return of the Trailer Trash Games Emporium, a mobile youth club featuring activities like table football, table tennis and other games and activities.

Early entry

Last year the 'Shoreside' field (Noisy Camping) was open for public access between the hours of 5pm and 10pm on Thursday evening. There was no access to the main festival field or any of the other camping fields until the Friday.

More information will be here when available.

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